Ducks In Black
by Zelda
Summary: The Ducks get caught up in an intergalactic war between old friends and enemies. Who else would show up to complicate matters, but the MIB?
1. Chapter One

Author's note: Woohoo, back in the good old days when MIB's cartoon was original and popular. Who'd have thought that one would stick around for four seasons? Anyway you won't need to know much about MIB to get this, it doesn't go too deep into their own little continuum. But you do need to know the Ducks! This story functions as a partial sequel to the episode "Mad Quacks From Beyond the Hockeydome", and you should see it before ya read!  
Rating: PG, nothing too big or bad within. 

Ducks In Black

Written by Zelda

                "Weird, I've never seen Klegghorn with bodyguards before." Tanya said, jabbing a thumb at the figure at the security monitoring screen, currently pounding on the door. 

Wildwing eyed the picture. "Those aren't bodyguards, their federal agents. I wonder what they want here..." he said. 

                "Great, the last thing we need is the FBI bustin' in here." Nosedive sighed, putting down a comic book.

                "Yeah, remember when Kleggy nearly sicked the EPA on us?" Duke said. "Jeez we'd have been in deep with that one."

                "You can see the headlines now: 'Hockey rink shut down in lieu of a federal investigation'." Mallory agreed. 

                "Well I'd better go up and deal with them, I'll call you if I need you." Wing sighed, getting up off of the Ready Room couch. 

Zelda leapt onto his shoulder. "Maybe I'll come too." she said. 

                Klegghorn looked at Wildwing when he finally opened up the locker room door.

                "Well finally! I've been standing out here for five minutes!" 

                "Sorry Klegghorn." Wildwing said. 

Klegghorn was about to speak, when one of the two men behind him reached out his hand and shook Wildwing's. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Flashblade." The man said. "I'm Mr. Kay." This 'Kay' was a tall Caucasian man with a hard, creased face and a sharp black suit. He wore neat, shiny black shoes. 

The man that stood next to him also snapped to and extended his hand. "Yo, I'm Mr. Jay." he shook Wing's hand as well. Wildwing noted this younger, African American man was wearing exactly the same clothes. 

Zelda nodded her head to the two men.

                "Wildwing, these federal agents would like to speak with your team in private." Klegghorn said, motioning to him that he should take them below. 

Wildwing frowned slightly, and then nodded. "Of course, right this way." he said, and led the two into the locker room. He punched the code in on the wall, to open the elevator. The two men stepped in, but Klegghorn did not follow. 

                "Well, this is the end of my beat. Bye." he said, and informally split. 

Wildwing stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. 

"Now gentlemen, pardon my directness, but why are you here?" Zelda asked. 

Mr. Kay was unmoved. "I think this will be better explained in front of your team." he said. 

The elevator stopped and the four stepped out. Seeing the visitors, the rest of the team snapped to order. 

                "Team." Wildwing began "These are agents Mr. Kay and Mr. Jay, of the..."

                "INS Division 6." Kay said, sitting down beside Jay in a chair. Wildwing took a seat on the couch near them, next to Mallory. 

Zelda was going through things in her mind. INS? Division six? 

                "Now, we know ya'll kinda freaked out with these government people all comin' up in here, but lemme assure you, we're not lookin' for trouble." Jay said, raising his hands. 

"We simply need to inform you of this government's policy on extra-terrestrials." Kay explained. Zelda cocked her head. What the heck?

                "Ummm, I didn't know this governmant HAD a policy." Tanya said.

                "Not a public one. We are a secret government organization. We are the first, last, and only line of defense as far as aliens go. We monitor all alien life on the planet and track their every move. We work in silence, we act in shadow. We are the Men in Black." 

The Ducks appeared impressed by the speech. 

                "But why would you need to monitor us? We haven't done anything wrong..." Duke started

                "We don't mean to offend, Mr. L'Orange, but we track every extra-terrestrial on the planet. Nobody's exempt." Kay explained.

                "And what involves this 'monitoring'?" Zelda asked suspiciously. 

                "We'll put all of you on government file, accessable only by our agents when needed. We'll put tracking devices onto whatever article of clothing or device you carry constantly, or implant them into you. You'll also receive zones where you can and cannot travel, in case it may trigger conflict with other aliens..."

                "You mean other aliens on the planet?" Tanya looked alarmed.

                "You in for a suprise girl, they's a lot of people out there, you wouldn't know it, but they's ain't human." Jay grinned. 

                "You see our job is to keep the public from knowing about alien life." Kay started

                "You mean a conspiracy?" Grin asked.

                "Not at all. I mean the public hasn't been deemed ready yet to handle this information. The aliens themselves have consented to this secrecy." 

Wildwing frowned. "But these 'regulations' you plan to impose on us.... why do we need them? We've done nothing wrong, we work for good. And we're from a different dimension, how could we start a conflict with other aliens from this dimension?" he asked.

                "We have to be careful sir, we've been quite busy lately with your particular team. The fact that you were integrated into the public before we could get to you was a bit of a disadvantage to our organization." Kay started. He stood up. "Look, we have no reason to press you, we haven't worked up a set of rules for your team yet. But we'll return to talk a few things over in a while." Kay put on a pair of black sunglasses, quickly followed by Jay. Kay walked in front of Zelda and took out a small metal device, about the length of a pencil and the thickness of a thumb. He crouched down in front of the dragon.

                "Wait a sec, what are you doing?" Zelda asked, backing away.

                "This device is quite harmless Zelda, I assure you. It's a neuralizer, a short term neurological scrambler. What it will do, in layman's terms, is make you forget that we were ever here." 

                "And why is this needed?" she asked, still being stubborn, and for a good reason. She had no intention of having her brain messed up! 

                "Because you're not an alien, and the Men in Black are supposed to be a secret to you." Kay explained, opening the device. 

                "Now wait a sec..." Wildwing started. 

                "I'm sorry Mr. Flashblade, but it's government policy." 

                "Since when does a dragon operate under human government?"

 Jay stepped between Kay and the duck, easing him back into his seat.

                "Uh look Mr. Flashblade, I know y'all scared. Believe me I hate it when he does this! But it won't hurt nothing, and she's better off not knowin' anyway." 

                "That's right Zelda." said Kay. "Just watch the red light." Suddenly, a red flash and a small whirring noise went off. Jay and Kay removed their glasses and stood again as the dragon snapped back to order. "Now you just remember to keep your furnace well dusted, we'll be back in a few weeks." Kay suddenly changed tone, smiling and shaking Wildwing's hand. The two walked out. 

Tanya knelt down beside the still dazed dragon, amazed at Kay's device. Did it really work? "You okay Zel?" she asked.

                "Just seeing in green." Zelda smiled. "Those neural scramblers don't do sqat on dragons." She shook herself and growled at the closed door the Men in Black had exited through.

                "Who the heck did THEY think they were?" Nosedive asked.

                "Well that's just government policy for ya." Mallory grinned, throwing up her hands.

                Kay led the way back into the command room. He sat down promptly at his desk and started typing up a mission report on his computer. 

Jay sat down beside him, draining a cup of coffee. 

An old man with dark circles beneath his eyes leaned on his desk. "Back so soon Kay?" The man asked. 

                "I can see we're going to have a tough time with this one Zedd." Kay sighed, not taking his eyes off the screen.

                "Resistant?"

                "Slightly. They're confused as to why they apply to our plan." 

                "We can't take any chances Kay." 

                "I know that. But they're good with the public. If we're not careful..."

                "I wouldn't worry about that now."

                "Yo, I just don't get why you were so intent on usin' that flashy-thing on the dragon, man." Jay slid into the conversation. "I thought you said that thing only worked on humans."

                "It might have worked." Kay shrugged.

                "You mean a dragon's never been involved with MiB before?"

                "Oh I'm sure they've seen aliens, they're just never involved with them." Kay said, and kept typing.

                "The twins are still working on a policy for them." Zedd reported.

                "This is gonna be a tough one Zedd, you know they got the whole hockey game thing going." Jay nodded.

                "We can't let them into zones that might cause trouble Slick." Kay said. 

Zedd got up and walked away. 

                Tanya sat, sorting through all of the calls they had gotten to their hotline that day. Fortuantely, none of them had fallen into the 'crazed megalomaniac' category. That was the last thing she needed. She was sorting through the last few when a familiar voice came in over the speaker.

                "Good morning Ducks, this is Agent Kay, MiB. Just calling to say that we'll be checking in on you sometime in the near future. I'll ring you again when I'm sure. Thanks." 

Tanya sighed slowly, and pushed away from the console, standing up and walking away.

                The ice was helping, Nosedive was glad to have it. Dang Islanders. He hated the their arena. Wait until THEY came to the Pond! He tried to take the focus off of the pain from the broad bruise on his left shoulder, and concentrate on looking out the window. 

Zelda, having just secured the ice pack on his shoulder with an ace bandage, was calmly standing by the control panels, reared up and leaning on the dash.

                "Don't take it too hard my friend." Grin smiled at him, seeing Nosedive's sour face.

                "Yeah kid, we won 5-2!" Duke chuckled. 

                "I STILL don't like those Islanders.... or their ugly uniforms." he added viciously. 

                "Hey, I'm proud of ya Bro, you took a big hit tonight and didn't even flinch." Wildwing said, at the wheel as usual as they drove through the suburbs of New York, just about an hour north of the big city. They were heading to Buffalo for the next game tomorrow night. The sun had set, but the sky still glowed red and orange. The trees in the forests around them stretched black against the sky. 

                "Don't remind me." Nosedive retorted and yawned. 

Wildwing leaned back and looked out of the windshield, keeping his eyes on the broken yellow line to his side. Suddenly, a long black car flung itself in front of them, speeding wildly and swerving violently. Some kind of blue things seemed to be folding into the back of the trunk! Wildwing gasped and slammed on the brake, swerving off and onto a grassy shoulder, nearly putting the fender through a tree. He sat in shock for a moment before quickly looking to his side, to see the black car park just as haphazardly, two men in black suits getting out quickly.

                "Don't I recognize them from somewhere?" Mallory asked, stepping up to the windshield.

                "Those are those Men in Black people! I hope this isn't the way of introducing their new 'policy' to us." Tanya snorted, as the team quickly ran out of the Migrator and onto the shoulder. 

Kay was talking into some kind of communicator, while Jay looked over his shoulder.

                "Hey man, what's the big idea runnin' us off the road?" Nosedive asked, tapping Jay on the shoulder. 

He looked behind him and gasped, suprised to see the Ducks.  "Uh oh.... Kay?" he asked. 

The man behind him closed the silver communicator and turned around. "Well well, we heard you were in town Ducks." he greeted.

                "And I hope this isn't your way of pulling us over for a ticket!" Wildwing said coldly.

                "Sorry about that, we didn't even see you." Kay apologized. 

Jay walked up to him and handed him a very large plasma gun, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie! The Ducks immediately drew back and set their arms. The nerve! Was he trying to shoot them with that?

                "This isn't for you Ducks." Jay chuckled, shouldering a gun of his own.

                "We've gotten a report of an illegal Alterian landing about a mile into the forest from here. They'd better have a good reason for being here." Kay explained briefly.

                "Alterian...... that rings a bell." Zelda thought.

                "Wait a second.... Kazor went over to Alteir 4...remember? Do you suppose he landed here?" 

                "Yeah, the lion dude, I remember him!" Nosedive said. "But why would he be here?" 

                "Whoever they are, they're gonna be sorry they violated treaty landing zones." Kay said, and walked off briskly.

                "You say you know this... Kazor." Jay suddenly said. "Why don't you come along with us?" Kay glanced over his shoulder, and then walked on. 

Wildwing thought for a few seconds. "If Kazor's involved, maybe we can talk to him if he's really done anything wrong." he said. "Let's go."

                "You armed?" Kay asked, as the group briskly started a jog up into the bare-treed woods. 

                "Always." Mallory said rather proudly.

                "Good. I'll scout ahead." Kay said, and jogged faster on ahead. 

The Ducks watched him disappear into the darkening landscape.

                "Okay Ducks, it's getting dark. We need a flank line search, and make sure you stay within eyeshot of each other. If anything happens, we shoot first and ask questions later. Got it?" Mallory ordered. 

The Ducks nodded. 

Jay looked impressed.

                "I'll fly patrol just below the canopy." Zelda volunteered, and leapt up into a nearby branch. 

The Ducks flanked out, each standing about 20 feet from each other, and started walking quickly through the forest.

 Slowly Jay walked to the edge of the line, about 20 feet from Grin, and began to search as well. He tried to keep his mind on the ground around him as he walked quickly. He didn't really think of the Ducks as aliens.... at least not as alien as the slimy, tentacle-waving city scum he was used to dealing with. They seemed to be rather.... human. And they seemed to be down with most of the superhero type hype. The leaves under his feet crunched loudly, and suddenly Jay snarled and ducked as a sharp pain ran violently into his right foot. "YAOW!" he yelped, and knelt instantly on the ground. There was something in is foot, something thick and sharp.

                Grin's head turned instantly at the sound. He had learned to expect trouble when things like this occurred. The vibes in the air were forboding, dangerous. He didn't like this at all. He saw Jay rather poorly in his black suit on the darkening forest floor. He placed his thumb and finger into his beak, and whistled for Tanya, who was next in line to him. Tanya nodded and opened her com to signal for the rest of the team. By this time, Grin had already made his way out of sight.

                Jay felt the strong, massive hand on his shoulder, and looked up quickly.

                "Fall?" Grin asked.

                "There's something mad sharp in my foot." Jay winced. "I dunno if I should pull it out." 

                "The rest of the team is coming." Grin assured him.

                "Go get Kay." Jay said quickly, and fell to rubbing his foot to find what had injured him. 

                "I'm on it Jay." a draconic voice assured beside him. Before the Ducks could turn to see her, Zelda was off, flying into the forest to find Kay, still far ahead. 

Tanya knelt beside Jay and opened up a florescent light in her Omnitool. She picked up his foot and looked at it gently. "That's it." she said, a little grimly, seeing what was in his foot.

                "Jeez it hurts, can you get it out?" Jay asked. 

                "Wait a second....." Tanya looked askance. More of them, deep gray thorns, broad at the base and sharp at the tips, were placed in a pattern around the whole area! Exactly like the one in Jay's foot. "This is a booby trap!"

                "Kay." Zelda called sharply down from the branch. The man hiding behind a treetrunk snapped up sharply, even angrily. Perhaps Zelda had spoiled a tracking plot. But before he could speak, Zelda had landed beside him. "Save it, your partner's down." she told him softly. He looked ahead at the forest. 

                "Where is he?"

                Wildwing looked up as he heard the leaves crunching far off. 

Tanya stood up and turned the light to reveal Zelda and Kay making their way quickly through the foliage. 

                "Watch your step!" Wildwing warned. 

Kay got into the clearing with the team, and looked down at his partner. Jay lay on his side, curled up and holding his foot, face hidden in pain. Kay looked at the thorns on the ground and shook his head. "Basic Alterian booby traps." he explained. "They're commonly used all over the galaxy. They'll kill a human in half-an-hour." he said. He knelt down halfway and shook his partner. "Come on Slick, cut it out...." he muttered, out of slight anger, but much more masked frustration. 

Wildwing could tell he didn't like seeing his partner like this. 

Kay stood up and reached into his pocket, pulling out a device that looked like an inhaler. Kay pressed it up to Jay's shoulder, and activated it with a blue button. 

Jay flattened out and closed his eyes, breathing slowly.

                "That'll put him to sleep for a bit." Kay sighed, standing again. "I have to get him back to MiB headquarters now." 

Wildwing gripped the young man around the shoulders, while Kay grabbed Jay's feet. It was only a half a mile through the forest, and the Ducks covered it quickly. 

Zelda perched on Wildwing's shoulder, bobbing up and down and watching Jay warily.

                "How's he doing?" Nosedive broke the silence. 

Kay frowned. "We'll get him back to MiB headquarters. There's one of our special ambulances waiting on the highway. You're welcome to come with us. In fact, I'd recommend it. For your own safety.

                "Our own safety?" Tanya repeated.

                "Yes. You see Alterians have been known to track down their enemies relentlessly. Since you were on the scene, they'll consider you a target as well."

                "Just what we need." sighed Grin from the back of the group.

                "Even if your 'friend' Kazor is involved in this operation, I wouldn't risk staying on the road tonight." Kay continued. By now they had reached the road, and the ambulance was waiting. It looked more like an armored car, it was so black and steely. A crew of about five immediately shuffled Jay onto a stretcher and the vehicle raced away. 

                "You don't look phased by this." Zelda started, perching on the roof of Kay's black vehicle as he leaned on it.

                "It's a nasty hurt, but I expected something like this to happen in a way. He's a rookie, not too familiar with the turf. So that neuralizer didn't do squat eh?" he asked, frowning.

                "Is it my fault?" she asked back, and flew away. The team was loading back up into the Migrator and she joined them.

                "So we're goin' back with the government dude?" Nosedive asked uneasily.

                "I don't like it one bit baby bro." Wildwing shook his head. "But these guys sound like they know what they're talking about. I can't take any risks." As the long black car turned around and headed across the two lanes to the right side of the highway, the Migrator followed it.

To be continued......


	2. Chapter Two

DiB, Part 2

Written by Zelda

                The Ducks stood rather uncomfortably, looking through the infirmary window at Jay, lying asleep in a solitary bed. 

                "This place is REALLY freakin' me out." Nosedive whispered.

                "Tell me about it... They've got technology from all over the universe... it's incredible." Tanya agreed.

                "The wealth of information that's hidden here..." Zelda added. 

                "How the public hasn't found out about this is something I just dunno." Duke rubbed his beak. He turned, startled, to find Kay beside him.

                "Sorry." Kay said.

                "Sokay." Duke grinned. "How's your partner?" 

                "He'll be fine by the morning. He's actually quite lucky, gets lots more sleep than most of us do around here. 37 hour day you know." 

                "Now Kay, If you've got the time, I was thinking we could discuss a plan for how we're going to deal with this..." Wildwing started.

                "That's what I came to talk to you about. But there's someone I want you to meet first. Follow me please." 

The Ducks walked off with Kay through the many hallways of MiB headquarters, marveling at all the people and all the creatures that were contained by them. Finally, they all stepped into a circular office which looked out upon the main MiB control room through several wide panes of glass. 

A heavy-set man with dark circles under his eyes and serious brows reached up to shake Wildwing's hand.

                "Ducks, this is Zedd, the boss of the MiBs." Kay introduced.

                "Pleasure to meet all of you, please have a seat." Zedd said, although not too warmly. 

The Ducks and Kay sat down. 

"Now Ducks, I know you've been briefed on the situation we're in." Zedd started. "I have heard that you may know one of these Alterians."

                "One by the name of Kazor, yes." Wildwing nodded.

                "A rebel?" Zedd asked. They all nodded.

                "We haven't been able to get very close to the area where the Alterians supposedly touched down. It seems like they've got a war going on back there, they're so heavily armed." Zedd sighed. "But from the varied types of weaponry they've been using, we think that they may be rebel forces."

                "But fighting against who?" Mallory asked.

                "That's another question we hoped you might be able to answer." Kay said.

                "Well.... there is an Alterian rebel group who fights against Emperor Charg's forces." Zelda said.

                "That's what we thought." Zedd said. "They've had a long grudge against each other." 

                "We were wondering if you could do MiB a favor by helping us out with this one." Kay said. "Even if there's a slight chance you know the Alterians, it would help a lot." 

                "Wait a minute..... what do we get out of this?" Duke asked. 

                "We'll lighten up on the restraints we're currently forming for you, provided of course that you complete your mission." Zedd said. 

Wildwing frowned.

                "I dunno Zedd. How about not leashing us at all?" Zelda picked up. 

Zedd frowned. "Look." he started. "I know you guys haven't done anything wrong. Your intentions seem well here..."

                "So what reason is there for a constraint?" Zelda pressed. 

Zedd hesitated.

                "It's just precautionary." Kay said solidly.

                "Very well." Wildwing said, standing up. "Maybe after this, you'll find there's no need at all for precautions. We're ready when you need us." 

The other Ducks looked at him a little strangely. He was never one to back down that quickly. Still, they followed obediently as Zedd and Kay led them out of the room, and downstairs. 

                "The twins can fill you in. They've already called up the information you'll need." 

The Ducks watched carefully as a wealth of satellite and infrared information whizzed past their faces, courtesy of a very strange pair of aliens that looked like giant sea anemonies. 

Kay shouldered a huge silver laser gun.  "Any questions?" he asked.

                "Tell me why we're doing this again?" Nosedive sighed. 

                "Relax kid, you get used to it after a while." a hand patted Nosedive on the shoulder. He spun around to see Jay tucking a tiny gun into his suit.

                "Ready to go?" Kay raised and eyebrow.

                "They literally shoved me out of the infirmary." Jay grinned. "Let's hit the road!" 

                "Easy Slick." Kay tisked in a monotone, looking at some papers. "We got a lot riding on our work today."

                The team sat uneasily in the Migrator, as Kay spread out a huge topographical map of the area they were going to storm out on the floor. "Now you see, we believe the Alterians are concentrated in this valley here." he said. "Charg's forces are scattered in small groups all around the area."

                "Any suggestions?" Duke asked.

                "Perhaps we could send in one or two... like a spy mission almost. If we could reach the Alterians, we might be able to stop the fighting." Mallory offered.

                "You know what you're doing kid." Kay said. "I agree." 

                "Well I see nothing wrong with that." Wildwing nodded. "Who's going?" 

The room was silent for a moment.

                "Fine!" Mallory snorted. "I'll go!" 

Zelda reared up next to her. "I'll go too, this area's not unfamiliar to me. But it's gonna be hard getting through those Charg forces untouched and unseen."

                "You're right..." Wildwing sighed.

                "Perhaps if we could but draw the enemy eyes away...." Grin started.

                "You mean like a distraction, right?" Jay piped up.

                "Yeah... that might work." Kay said. "We need only send two or three of you out though. Just to make some noise." 

                "I'll go." Jay said. 

                "Dive can too." Wildwing patted his brother on the back. 

                "What!?" Nosedive asked.

                "You're good at making noise." Wildwing grinned at him. 

                "Thanks." Dive muttered.

                "I'll go too, just in case." Grin said.

                "Yeah, Grinster's great for getting out of a jam." Nosedive said as he got up. 

                "Well I suggest you start out now." Kay said, pointing on the map. "That's a pretty high elevation point just over on the rise there. You'll get a good audience."

                "And we can let Mal and Zelda go a few minutes later." Tanya said.

                "Hey what about me?" Duke spoke up. 

Wildwing thought a moment. "You're good at sneaking around Duke, you go with Mallory." Wildwing told him.

                "A pleasure to assist the lady." he bowed and stood up. 

Zelda grinned and gave a huff from the back hatch of the Migrator. 

                "And I'll go with Zelda." Tanya got up and jumped out of the back.

                "Well then, we're outta here." Nosedive waved, exiting the Migrator with Jay and Grin following.

                "Keep in touch." Wing reminded them, as they all ran off into the forest. The leader frowned behind his Mask as he watched them go. 

                "Worried about your brother?" Kay asked him.

                "As worried as you probably are about your partner." Wildwing said. 

Kay nodded and turned back to the map.

                Zelda perched high in the treetops, scanning the forest floor below carefully before she moved. She knew this area very faintly, it wasn't but about five or six miles from The Territory. If this fighting spread much farther the clan would have her head for this. She knew this place was loaded with boobytraps and ambushes, but the treetops seemed to be clean. Suddenly, she saw something on the ground. It looked like a long, flat gray spacecraft to her. She opened the com she was carrying in her jaws and spoke in a whisper. "Yo." she reported.

                "Got anything for us Zel?" Wildwing replied on the other end.

                "Yup, looks like one of the bases here or something." Zelda said.

                "Describe it." Kay ordered to her, taking over the com. 

                "It's long, flat, and gray. Looks like it's got all these weird wires and cables running all over it." 

                "Yup it's Alterian alright." Kay said. 

                "We've got your coordinates, we'll come to back you up as soon as we hear from Mallory." Wildwing spoke again. "You wanna scout this one out?"

                "I think so, doesn't seem to be anyone around." Zelda replied, looking down to see Tanya nodding up at her. 

                "Keep an open channel." Wildwing told her. "We'll be right here." 

                "Got it." Zelda secured the com around her wrist and, leaving it open, started to climb down gingerly from her tree.

                Wildwing leaned back as the scraping of claws against bark gave way to a barely audible crunching of leaves. He sat back and tried to picture Zelda stalking up to this structure.

                "Looks like nobody's home." she said over the crackling. 

Kay spoke into the com. "Keep an eye out, they might have a ----" Suddenly, he was cut off by a loud blast, and the snarl of lasers slitting through the air like knives of light. Pucks exploded nearby.             Wildwing sat up quickly as Zelda cried out in alarm. Visual on the com was quickly lost. There was a loud crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs, gnarled and dulled by yelling and movement.

                "Zelda?" Wildwing called. "Zelda what's happening?" 

She snarled and huffed loudly, trying to talk. "I'm pinned!" 

Wildwing immediately wished he was there, as if he could suddenly be teleported in. He wanted to help. 

                "Zelda, let the Alterian hear me!" Kay ordered sternly. He heard the alien yelling over the com distantly. 

                "What is that you've got there? Who's on that communicator?" he snapped.

                "MIB. You've got a violation list as long as my arm, Slick." Kay snapped back.

"Come over here and I'll blast that arm off human, or should I rid this spy of her's first?" 

Wildwing grabbed the com. "Listen to me Alterian. I am a friend of your leader Kazor." he demanded. "Let the duck and dragon up, they won't hurt you." 

                "Who knows what of the great Kazor? Who is this?" the alien snapped back. 

                "I'm Wildwing, the leader of the Mighty Ducks." the Duck said proudly. "Where is Kazor? Let me speak to him, he'll sort this whole mess out." 

                "Who are you to make demands?" the guard snapped back. 

Suddenly the conversation stopped. The two in the Migrator heard the alien talking, but it was distant and muffled. 

                "Zelda?" Wildwing broke the silence. 

There was no response for a second.

                "I think we're okay now Wing." Zelda said back. The com's visual slowly came back, broken up and crackling. Zelda stood up, shaking herself. 

Wildwing could see the alien, a furry lion-like biped, looking very much like a guard from the Hockeydome. He was talking on his own com. The Alterian closed his com and looked back at the two. "I'm terribly sorry, there's been a mistake." he said.

                "It's alright." she smiled. "Hey Wing, I think we're in the clear."

                Mallory crouched on the ground, peering between the thick leaves of a bush. She peered out at a deep blue and purple disk-shaped craft that looked very similar to the 'hockey stadium' that had once taken the Ducks up the the Hockeydome. She knew this was one of Charg's ships. It wasn't big, maybe about 25 feet across and ten feet tall. It looked like just a scout ship. Mallory leaned back and opened her com. "Mallory here." she whispered.

                "What's up Mal?" Wildwing asked.

                "I've found one of the Emperor's ships, looks like a small one though." Mallory reported.

                "It's just a scout ship. There are probably five or six of them scattered around." Kay broke in. "Is there anyone around?" 

                "No I can't see anyone. What's happening with Zelda and Tanya?" she asked.

                "They're fine. They found the Alterians and there's no problem now. They reported in about five minutes ago." Wildwing told her.

                "Good. Now what do we do? Scout this one out?"

                "I don't recommend it. Zelda did the same thing and almost got in over her head." Kay said. 

                "We'll send your coordinates to the others, they'll back you up." Wildwing said. 

Mallory checked her AutoTracker. "Yeah they're not too far away, we'll wait." Mallory agreed. Mallory looked up into the trees and saw Duke perched on a thick branch like a waiting jungle cat. Weird. She sat down Indian-style on the forest floor, and waited.

                Nosedive sighed as his com went off. 

Grin cocked his head at the noise. "Better turn that thing off my friend." he whispered. 

Nosedive silently did so. He wished he could report in. He didn't want to be here. The bark of the tree at his back was crawling with ants. It was majorly uncomfortable. Grin squatted on his haunches as silently as a cat beside him. Nosedive wondered if it were possible for a duck of his size to be as silent as a cat. To his left, Jay was trying to stay low and peek through the bush he was hiding behind. Dive didn't even understand what the big fuss was about! They had been walking through the woods when suddenly Jay had thrown them all behind this tree. Nosedive edged closer to Grin, trying to peek around the tree, but the large duck shoved him back into his former position. Nosedive humphed softly. There was some reason they were hiding, and he didn't want to find out what it was. 

                Wildwing looked up at Kay quickly as he found his communication abruptly severed. 

Kay shook his head.

                "Think they're in trouble?" Wildwing asked.

                "It's possible." Kay said, with no emotion in his voice. 

                "Maybe I should go out there..." Wildwing started up.

                "Our station is here Wildwing." Kay halted him with his hand. "The team listens to you. You've got to stay here and do your job." 

                "My job also includes the protection of my team, Mr. Kay." Wildwing noted with a light curtness in his voice. "I don't know how you run things at MIB, but we look out for each other in this field." Wildwing paused. "I'll try and reach them again." He reluctantly opened his com.

                "You see that's the whole story. We're caught up in this as much as you are. We are friends and allies, but it is dangerous to the humans of this planet, and possibly my kind, that you're fighting here. Not to mention, you've got MIB on your tails." Zelda said gently, head bowed to a group of guards she was sitting with inside the Alterian ship. "Isn't there some way you can contact your leader and call this whole thing off?"

                "You're a good diplomat, dragon." One of the lions, a dark brown in color, noted. "But we don't contact Kazor, he contacts us. He's currently on a great raid against the Chargs, and he demands that he not be disturbed." 

                "Wait a minute... he's battling the Chargs right now?" Tanya asked.

                "Our leader never rests." A guard said proudly. 

Tanya opened her com. This could be trouble.

                Nosedive sucked in his breath as the explosion sent splinters of wood flying everywhere. He looked up to see a huge dent in the great oak tree about a foot above his head. That thing could have blasted right through! Dumbfounded, the three in the bushes weren't ready for the next blast either. Something yellow and firey sailed inches above Grin's head, the large duck flatting himself against the ground as the blast crumbled a rock behind him.

                "Awww man!" Jay smacked his forehead. "I don't believe it!"

                "What's going on?!" Nosedive yelled as Grin slowly got up behind the tree.

                "We've been spotted! I'm not sure if these are just security lasers or real troops man!" Jay panicked. He reached into his soiled black suit, and pulled out a small silver gun. "Here! Get behind me and brace me!" he yelled. 

Grin and Nosedive obeyed, putting their hands to his back to brace him. 

Jay peeked out from behind the tree, cocked the gun, and fired. Suddenly all three of them were thrown backwards from the recoil of the tiny weapon. They tumbled over themselves before coming to a stop in a tangled heap. 

Nosedive coughed violently, spitting leaves out of his mouth and tearing them from his hair. "You coulda WARNED us about that!" he yelled angrily at Jay. 

Grin snapped the young duck's bill shut with his hands. "It's okay." he snarled. "I don't think they heard you.... on Jupiter!" 

Jay was already crawling back to their former position behind the tree, daring to peek out into the forest beyond. A smoking heap of metal revealed itself about fifty feet away, concealed among a now demolished clump of brambles. It must have been a drone gun, put there for perimeter security. They must be close to something. Jay grinned and tucked the gun back into the breast pocket of his suit. "Noisy cricket." he patted the weapon. "Man I'm getting better and better with that thing!" He turned as Dive and Grin came up behind them.

                "What was that?" Grin asked, still whispering.

                "A drone gun probably." Jay held his head high. "No need to whisper now, I think things are all taken care of." 

And suddenly, Grin shouted and was thrown violently to the earth as a huge explosion roared up just behind them. 

                Mallory heard it. From the echoes, she guessed the blasts weren't more than half a mile from where she was. The girl peered from her brush and strained to see while keeping her cover. 

Duke sensed it too. He climbed down from the tree and landed softly in the bushes beside her. "Looks like we've got trouble." he whispered. 

What on earth was going on out there? Wildwing would know. Mallory opened her com to find Tanya finishing a sentence.

                "--could be a problem Wing."

                "I know, I haven't been able to reach the others. There is trouble out there."

                "You don't have to guess." Mallory broke in. "I just heard about three blasts half a mile from here. They were like explosions! It must have been some kind of fighting."

                "Tanya tells me that Kazor's out fighting the Chargs now." Wildwing said. "I hope that's just them and not any of ours." 

                "Can you at least get a fix on their com signals?" Zelda asked.

                "Yes." Wildwing said. "Yeah they're about three miles northwest of the Migrator."

                "That's half a mile from me... where I heard those blasts." Mallory's voice sank as she too checked her AutoTracker. "Do you think we should go check it out?" 

                "Stay put you two." Kay suddenly broke in. "I think it would be a better idea for you to stay and monitor the Chargs' activity. Tanya, Zelda, can you leave, maybe take some of those guards with you?"

                "We can try and convince them. What do you think Wing?" the dragon asked.

                "I say go for it. Contact me as soon as anything comes up." 

                "Got that." Zelda and Tanya closed the connections. 

Mallory remained on the line, pensive for orders. "So we get to just sit here eh?" she said.

                "I guess so. Kay's right on this one. Just watch. If it is our guys out there in that fight, its likely you'll get your share of action in just a while."

                "That's a roger Wildwing, over and out." Mallory closed her connection, and was left again in the forest. 

                "We do not stand a chance if we go out there alone! We are asking you please to help us." Zelda said with calm desperation. "This is a chance to battle your enemy, why would you turn away?"

                "I thought you said you wanted to end the fighting." A guard snorted. "We take orders from no one but Kazor. He wishes us to stay here."

                "Look, we must go to help my friends. If you come with us, it is possible that the MIB will take your gesture of friendship into account." the guards looked at each other carefully. They turned their backs for a moment to discuss things amongst themselves. 

Zelda and Tanya waited with deep tension. They had no idea what was happening only a mile from here. But they had to find out. Something was telling Zelda that something terribly wrong was about to happen. Something was twisting her stomach in knots. The dragon perked her ears as the three guards turned around again.

                "We can help you."

                Things had transpired too slowly for Mallory. She wanted orders, she was itching to get out of this stupid bush. She wanted to get into the action now! The others were quite possibly in danger. More blasts rang through the forests periodically, nothing more. She wanted out of here. She glanced at Duke, who just stared into the forest with a blank face. How could he be so patient!? Suddenly, there was a loud pneumonic hiss near her, which nearly made Mallory jump three feet into the air. She recovered herself and dug into the bush in front of her, peering through the tough leaves to see the door to the spaceship in front of her opening. FINALLY! There was a rush of misty air, smelling stale and moldy. Mallory remembered the stench well from the holding bay inside of that HockeyDome. She cursed the infernal building under her breath as a whole troop of animals, bipedal, furry cats, ran out of the door and jogged into the forest. They were like the HockeyDome guards, each carrying long, silver staffs with laser points. Mallory remembered them well as the cats were lost amongst the foliage. "Wildwing! Come in!" she hissed into her com.

                "Wing here, what's up Mal? Any news on the others?" His voice sounded hopeful.

                "Negative. Enemy Chargs appear to have evacuated the ship under our watch."

                "How many?"

                "I'd say at least a dozen." Duke broke in, calculating quickly.

                "Awaiting orders Wing." 

Wildwing paused. 

Mallory heard him distantly talking, probably to Kay.

                "Should she go help?" he asked the man.

                "Does she have any explosives on her?" Kay asked.

"Affirmative sir." Mallory caught his drift. "I can go in and destroy the ship if you like Wing."   Another pause. 

                "Alright." Wildwing said. "Just be careful. There could be more in there and we have little to spare for backup. Duke, I want you to stay put. There could be more trouble outside."

                "I got that." Duke nodded, drawing his sabre. 

                "Zelda and Tanya should be passing your location in about five minutes, got a few rebels with them. I'll have them check in on you." 

                "Hopefully I'll be done by then. Over and out." Mallory got up, leaves sticking to her clothes, and ran into the ship, launcher drawn, Duke behind her.

                The dragon tore over the familiar terrain, crashing through bushes and dodging only rocks and trees. Behind her, Tanya and the two Alterians were huffing to keep up. She didn't wait for them. She could hear the blasts now, she felt the ground jolt with each one. And she knew that Duke and Mallory were somewhere nearby. She nearly ran right past the Charg ship before it caught her eye and she jerked to a stop. The two guards behind her slagged to a halt before realizing the structure's presence as well, and started loudly. 

                "Easy, the ship's deserted." Zelda snorted. 

Suddenly, Mallory came running around and nearly slammed into the three. 

The guards took their lasers and immediately had Mallory pinned to the wall before Tanya could slip in-between.

                "Easy will ya? I'm a duck!" Mallory yelled quickly. "And everyone better duck and cover unless you want to get one gnarly tongue piercing job a-la-shrapnel!" The duck dove behind a tree twenty feet from the ship. 

Tanya and the guards hurried and joined her, Zelda taking shelter in the leaves above them. She caught a glimpse of Duke on the opposite side of the ship, scrambling into the foliage. Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the ground very close to them.

To be continued......


	3. Chapter Three

DIB, part 3

written by Zelda

                From the second Nosedive found the duck, he knew he wasn't getting up again. 

Grin lay flat on his stomach, not rolling, not really doing anything. 

                "Grinster!? You okay buddy? Come on, talk to me!" Nosedive shook the duck's meaty gray shoulder. 

Grin gritted his teeth shut and slowly started to roll over.

                "They're coming for us! Let's go!" Jay suddenly shouted. "Get him up!" 

Nosedive grabbed Grin's arm and tried to pull him, but the duck groaned and pulled away. Nosedive took another look at the charred hole in Grin's back.    "We can't move him, we'll have to hold out here and hope the others are on their way!" he yelled at Jay.

                "Are you CRAZY man?" Jay yelled. "We don't stand a chance here! We'll be cremated by those lasers in less than a minute! We've gotta make a run for it!"

                "I'm not leaving him." Nosedive pointed to Grin. "I've got a launcher and you've got that.... thing... That's good enough."

                "You aliens are insane. I'm not stayin' here on this suicide mission!" 

                "Hey who are you calling the alien, mister.?" Dive snapped. "I'm sick and tired of you secreting all your info. from us, just to lead us around by the beak! We're staying here!"

                "The heck with you ducks!" Jay snarled. "I'm going!" he threw down his arms and turned to leave, when the edge of a laser-tipped staff was suddenly shoved in his face. 

                "You're not going anywhere HUMAN!" a loud voice roared. "Hands up, everyone!" 

Jay slowly raised his hands, turning back to shoot a poisonous look at Nosedive. 

The duck curled a lip back at the human as he too surrendered. 

A dozen large, bipedal jungle cats made their presence known, their black armor and silver staffs gleaming in the fading sunlight. Two herded Jay off, poking him in the back to keep him moving. Nosedive had his launchers torn from him and thrown on the ground. He was shoved off too as the rest of the guards attended to Grin with yells. He refused to get up, eyes still shut. One of the guards jammed the tip of his staff into the wound on Grin's back. The Duck twisted and yelled in pain. 

                "Hey cut that out!" Nosedive shouted at them. He yelped as he felt a bolting shot to his rear end. The duck seethed and kept walking. Looking carefully behind him, he saw Grin somehow be pushed up and forced to walk, teetering drowsily. At least he hadn't hurt his back too badly. Dive was relieved in one sense. But this sucked. They were captured. What now?

                The dragon was rather alarmed at the violent change in the landscape. Where there was once a ship concealed in the leafy green, a large crater and pieces of shrapnel everywhere. Mallory looked out upon it and grinned. The two guards were dumbfounded. Duke rejoined them, dusting the dirt and leaves off of his uniform. He shouldered his sabre as Mallory opened her com. 

                "Hey Wing!" she spoke happily. "Mission accomplished, my bogie's down in flames." 

                "We've got bigger problems." Wildwing sighed, and started to explain.

                He was actually angry at Kay in a secondary way. Wildwing shook his head as he closed his com and leaned back against the cool, metallic wall of the Migrator. He tilted his head back and let it hit the wall softly. He heard Kay russling at the maps on the floor.

                "Let's hope it was the party that Duke and Mallory spotted that ambushed our three. They'll come back looking for their ship and your Ducks and those two guards can attack, maybe get our three back." Kay traced his fingers over the map slowly. 

Wildwing seethed quietly. How dare he! Those were people out there, and he sat here in perfect safety, playing with them as if they were chess pieces. And his brother.... Wildwing was very close to yelling at the suited man... and then his anger slowly disassembled itself as he remembered that this man played a pivotal role in lightening those stupid restraints. Wildwing rolled his eyes. "Let's be careful now." he cautioned. "There are only five out there, and they are at least a dozen guards, maybe more. Those aren't good odds."

                "What would you do?" Kay asked wryly. 

Wildwing paused in thought.

                The reaction from the Charg guards was audible long before they came into sight. Angry yells of confusion echoed through the woods as they guards came crashing though the underbrush, inspecting their exploded ship. Tanya gasped quietly as she saw Jay and Dive shoved into the clearing. Grin followed, he slowly collapsed on his side, flopping in the seared dirt. 

                "What do we do now?" a guard asked. Another burly lion picked up a piece of the wreckage and sniffed it.

                "This isn't Alterian weaponry." he snarled. 

Zelda cocked her ears, worried. 

                "What do you mean?" another guard asked. 

                "There's someone else here. MIB possibly."

                "All guards FLANK OUT!" one suddenly yelled. "You three, guard these captives. I want those humans found!" With loud roars, nine Charg guards clomped off into the brush, spreading out. 

Thirty feet from the exploded ship, Zelda peered down to Duke, and then to Tanya and Mallory, behind a tree on the ground. Mallory was signaling across a small clearing to the Alterians. She was signaling them to arms. Zelda curled her lips. This was going to be tricky business. She turned back to watch the approaching guards, and the four that remained to look over Dive, Jay, and Grin. One of them was talking on a com. 

Suddenly, that one yelled out. "ALL RETURN! I've got fresh orders, we're moving out of here!" The guards spun on their heels and trampled back through the foliage, returning to the ship. Zelda gave a panicked look down to Mallory as they forced their captives to walk again. The duck looked back and shrugged helplessly. Zelda gulped slowly as the Chargs trooped off into the woods. 

                Nosedive would have some choice words he could have said at the moment, but he kept his beak shut in mind to the laser that was pointed at his back. He was shoved again by a paw, pushed over the terrain. The duck tried hard to think. Why had that ship been blown up? Was it more MIB? Was it Zelda and Tanya, or Mallory and Duke? By the stars, he wished it was. He wanted to be back in sunny Anaheim more than anything now. It was getting harder and harder to see in all this coming darkness, but Dive could tell that they were close to wherever they were headed. The guards were on constant contact with their destination through their coms. Squinting through the large trees, Dive thought he saw a large outcropping of rocks in the distance. He nearly stumbled over a root and was shoved on for his clumsiness. He decided to keep his eyes on the ground, not looking up for several minutes. When he did glance up, he was alarmed to see that the outcropping of rocks was actually a very large ship! That must be Charg headquarters. Nosedive continued to think hard, and snuck a quick glance at Grin behind him. To try and run would be suicide in the first place, but Grin couldn't be able to manage an escape with him and Jay. And Wing would kill him if he ran and left Grin behind. Man this sucked! Nosedive pouted as he walked. They approached the main door of the ship, a panel in the side of the saucer-shaped object folding down to serve as a ramp. They paused at the door while a guard tried to contact someone on his com. Nosedive looked at the foliage around him. There had to be SOME way outta here. This was his last chance. Suddenly, his eye caught something. There was something weird in a bush near the ship. He squinted to make out a small circle of blue in the dark leaves. He suddenly realized it was an eye! Zelda's eye! The dragon took form instantly to him. 

She put a talon to her lips and signaled for him to wait. 

Dive nodded slightly. Suddenly, he was jabbed in the back again.

                "Let's go Duckie." a guard snarled. 

They were moving! Not here, not now! He bent down instantly. 

"I said MOVE!" the guard barked.

                "Umm... I haveta tie my shoe." the duck blabbered. He saw Zelda dart off into the bushes. Suddenly, he felt the searing electricity curl around his neck, creeping up to his head. Nosedive felt electric fingers of pain surge through his skull and suddenly the world went black around him. 

From the bushes, Zelda gasped as he fell limply to the ground and the guards threw him inside. 

                Kay was disheartened slightly as he heard the news, Mallory whispering it scratchily over Wildwing's com. Great, now the leader duck would probably be mad at him. Kay was worried slightly about Jay. He'd gotten himself into quite a few scrapes before, but he was just a rookie, and knew nothing about the Chargs. Zedd wasn't going to like this. Kay had thought dozens of times over about calling in reinforcements. MIB had them in droves. But he wasn't sure what they were dealing with yet. He could put a lot of lives in danger. And from what Mallory and Zelda had gathered, he was doing so already. He glanced over at Wildwing, musing blankly over the maps. He slowly started going over his options again.

                "Mallory, come in." Wildwing suddenly opened his com.

                "Mallory here, orders?"

                "Tenative ones." Wildwing sighed. "Is there any way you can get to Kazor? He's the only powerful one I see being able to help us now." 

                "Lemme ask this guard here." 

There was muffled speech in the background.

                "We can contact Kazor, they tell me he's en route to his main ship after a scouting mission. We can meet him, but we'll have to leave the others." 

                "Then do so." Kay said. He took up a pencil and marked the coordinates of the Charg heaquarters, a rough two miles from the scout ship Mallory had exploded. 

                "Make it fast Ducks, we need Kazor in on this." Wildwing said. "Keep me posted."

                "Will do Wing, over and out." The connection ended. 

                "You think this Kazor will side with you under these circumstances?" Kay asked.

                "He's one of the last options we've got." Wildwing leveled Kay's gaze. "Besides." he asked with a wry smile. "What would you do?" 

Kay paused in thought.

                Now in the true darkness, the Alterian headquarters was hard to see, but it was nonetheless impressive. It was big and black, crisscrossed with purple wiring and shaped like a giant spearhead. A door slid open and the four were marshaled inside by even more guards, which the place didn't seem to lack at all. Inside, the silvery gray halls were rectangular, padded with fabric and lit with green and purple neon lights. Guards marched too and fro, each wearing a different and sometimes scraggly uniform. Aliens of different species were scattered about as well. 

Duke was very impressed. Could the rebel force be this big? 

                "Move fast or you'll get lost in here." one of the two guards told he and Mallory gruffly. "Kazor is very busy, but he does wish to speak with you." 

The two were whisked through twisting corridors and past many different rooms, until they finally came to a great gray metal door. It opened slowly to reveal a large, long room. At the end of this, Kazor himself stood putting his guns away in a compartment in the wall. 

He turned to see the four and smiled. "Well well, a long time it's been, eh Ducks?" he addressed them warmly.

                "It has Kazor." Mallory returned the smile. "Unfortunate we'd be meeting again under such circumstances."

                "I know that you and the MIB are working together." Kazor walked up to meet them. "But I assure you, this battle was not of my choice! The Chargs forced us back to this planet after we'd been battling them around the Crab Nebula."

                "We also didn't enter this battle by choice Kazor." Zelda said. "But now we're in the thick of it. We come to you seeking help."

                "What has happened?"

                "Two of ours, and one MIB agent has been captured as well." Duke reported. "As we said, not good circumstances." 

                "A shame my friends." Kazor shook his head. "We've had a few of our men taken as well. Some will never return. They have died trying to gain the location of the Charg headquarters." He turned around sadly. 

                "Well you happen to be in luck." Mallory smiled.

                "You have seen it?!" Kazor was amazed. 

                "Yes. It's surprisingly well unguarded." Duke grinned. "We'd be happy to help lead your forces there... if ya'd help us get our friends free."

                "A very good deal!" Kazor shook the duck's brown hand. "It's been so long since we fought together... you still remember?"

                "I still have a mark where you threw me against the boards." Duke joked. "How could I not remember?" 

Kazor chuckled and walked back through the room, opening the hatch to his weapons cabinet. "Prepare yourselves my friends." he warned. "Unless you object, we launch an immediate attack."

                "We're ready." Tanya told him.

                Dang it. Dang dang dang dang. Jay's mind reeled with boredom as he sat Indian-style on the floor. Dang dang dang. He couldn't believe it! Captured, and all because of that stubborn Duck. He snorted in the direction of the figure that still lay unconscious on the other side of the cell. Jay shifted himself a bit and looked outside, through the blue energy bars. A guard leaned around the corner and sneered at him. Jay growled under his breath. Jeez, Zedd was probably going to have his head on a silver platter for this. Of course he'd blame nothing on Kay. If this whole operation blew sky-high he'd find some way to nail it on the rookie. He was sick and tired of sitting and thinking. He wanted out. He wanted to get his gun back and blast these scum into the next lifetime! He sighed and hung his head, knowing he was stuck in here. Suddenly, the gray duck moved beside him, shifting an arm from his face-down position and letting out a low groan. Jay frowned slowly. That Duck had taken a pretty bad hit back there in the woods, maybe it was simply right for Nosedive to have stayed with him. Then again, maybe they shouldn't have cowered behind him when the Chargs attacked. The Duck shifted again. He must be waking up. It was about time. Slowly, the Duck rolled onto his side and lifted his head. Jay tried to recall the Duck's name.        "You okay Grin?" 

The Duck squinted for a moment. "Pain is an illusion." he managed. 

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Okay... " he decided to leave well enough alone. "Pretty nasty hit you took there."

                "Yeah..." Grin eased himself to sit. "How's Nosedive?"

"I dunno..." Jay suddenly felt guilty for not trying to wake him up. After all, he was just a kid... But there was no more time to act as Dive began waking up himself. He reached up for his head and snarled.

                "Ow man.... talk about your ice cream headaches...." He sat up and opened his eyes.

                "Morning honey." Jay joked sourly at him as Dive looked around.

                "Real funny man, I'm laughing so hard I think I'm gonna die." Dive snarled back at him.

                "If it weren't for you we wouldn't even be here!" Jay yelled at him. 

A guard stood outside the cell, watching amusedly. 

                "WHAT? You humans are even lower than I thought you were? I was trying to help him!" Dive jabbed a finger at Grin, who glanced at Jay. 

                "Hey, when you're given orders you follow them." Jay huffed.

                "If it were your partner, you'd stay too, orders or no orders." Dive spat. 

Jay paused. The kid had a point. "That's different." was all he could come up with.

                "I sure don't see how." Dive straightened himself up against the wall. "Hey buddy, suppose you can't get me an aspirin eh?" he called to the guard. 

The burly lion smirked and lowered his laser staff. 

"Guess not." Dive sighed. He walked over to Grin and sat down by him.

                "So." Jay whispered. "How we gonna get outta here?" 

                "Hmm, no weapons, a guard, and electric bars... your plan first." Dive said. 

Jay sighed.

                "Worry not." Grin mused. "I am certain our friends are devising a plan of rescue as we speak."

                "Yeah!" Nosedive suddenly remembered. "I saw Zelda outside the ship!"

                "Aw so that's why you tried to stall them." Jay said.

                "Yeah... too bad it didn't work." Dive rubbed his head again. 

                "So we know at least Zel's out there..." Grin said. "And she's got her com. Wildwing and Kay must know about this."

                "I'm suprised Kay didn't send in reinforcements ya know?" Jay said. "I mean, MIB's no backyard operation."

                "Neither is this." Grin swiveled his head towards him. "The less lives this fight puts in danger, the better."

                "Huh, tell that the Jay man." Dive snarled from around Grin's shoulder. 

Jay scoffed at him lightly in reply. Conversation ebbed quickly. The three sat together in silence again. Jay felt as bored as he did when those two Ducks were out! He looked at the guard outside to see him checking his wrist com. Slowly, he shouldered his staff and walked out of sight. Jay wondered to himself. What was that about?

                The metal was cold at his back. There was a decidedly added chill to the night around here. Duke shivered a bit and hugged himself as he crouched next to the ship. He had to be totally silent. A patrol could come by any second. Duke glanced down to his left, to see Zelda lying in the leaves beside him. For the moment, she seemed to be napping. Well, he supposed she'd be used to all this cold, seeing as she lived only a few miles away. Slowly Duke began to think to himself. It was strange that he hadn't seen any of her kind. No snapped branches, no loose feathers, not even an old paw print. Could it be that they could have known about the aliens? And why didn't Zelda seem worried about her kind? Suddenly, his com clicked. Zelda awoke with a start.

                "Patrol coming your way Duke!" Mallory whispered on the other end. 

                "Gotcha. How many?" 

                "5 at least.. I can't see straight." Mallory was frustrated. 

                "It's okay, we'll handle them." Duke closed his com and stood quickly. 

Zelda was already sniffing around in the bushes. Suddenly she stopped. "In here!" she whispered. Duke looked down and saw a spot of black about five feet wide in the ground. 

"It's a natural foxhole. Get in, they're coming!" Zelda ushered him in quickly, and then jumped in beside him. She reached out and pulled the branches of the bushes back over her. 

In the pitch black beside her, Duke clicked something in on his wrist. He froze in his place as the sound of footsteps thudded gently off of the earth above. The patrol. He tried to see through the branches, but couldn't. Listening, he could hear them walk closer and closer, and then they stopped. Duke became worried. Did they see them? He suddenly heard one talking lowly.

                "All clear at point C, heading to point D now." It was a guard, he must have been talking over a com.

 Duke waited a few seconds, and then the patrol started walking again. He grinned. Now came the fun part. 

                The lion brushed a lock of his mane out of his face. He looked over to his lieutenant on his right. The equally burly and armored lion nodded back to him and signaled a troop to the ready. Crouching low in the night, they hussled off into the woods, following him. 

Kazor stayed with the other half of his rebels. "That's the first branch out. And now for us."

                "Duke and Zelda have just spotted the patrollers, it should be easy for them to take them out and then meet with us." Mallory added, Tanya at her side. 

                "Then let's not waste any time." Kazor shouldered a large disetegration gun. "Troop 2, move out!" A pack of about 30 rebels suddenly appeared from the foliage, and ran off into the night. Kazor suddenly joined up the run beside them. 

Mallory scrambled to keep up, drawing her launcher. "Who'da thought, huh?" she panted as she ran. "That we'd meet again... like this...." 

                "Not I." Kazor admitted. "It is nice to have you back fighting again. But I did never think it would be like this. The rebels are a determined band... but we are small." 

                "So are we.... compared to Dragaunus's forces... You'd be surprised." Mallory said. "Persistence counts for a lot."

                "Well, let's hope we're a lot more than persistent tonight." Kazor ran ahead of her.

                The smoke puck created the chaos Duke wished it would. He heard the guards yelling, scrambling. Duke frowned, they were making too much noise! Duke tapped Zelda and they both sprung from the foxhole, leaping into the smoke. Duke seized a guard by the wrist and spun him around, slamming him into a treetrunk. Coughing, he went after another. Two down... he looked over to see Zelda smack the daylights out of another guard with her tail, and the fourth and fifth had run into each other in the chaos and now lay on the ground. The smoke faded quickly.

                "Woohoo, I'll never get tired of that." Zelda dusted her paws off as she leapt onto Duke's shoulder. 

Duke smiled and coughed. "Come in Mallory." Duke lifted his com. 

                "Mallory here, you guys okay?"

                "Never been better sweetheart. This patrol's down."

                "Excellent. Kazor's almost got his first squad in position. We're with the second one. I say we're 5 minutes or so from ground zero."

                "Got that. We'll move towards the doors and wait for you there." 

                "Hang on a sec.... Kazor suggests you go in ahead of us, when the first squad strikes. Try and armor yourselves, we'll play backup."

                "Whatever you say Mal. What about Wildwing?" 

                "I'll relay our plans to him in a second."

                "Alright then, over and out." 

Zelda clicked her teeth. "So she wants us to sneak in?" 

Duke ripped the shoulder armor off of a fallen guard and fitted it on himself. "Yup. It's not gonna be easy either." Duke shook his head. 

Zelda started walking again. The entrance wasn't too far off. 

                Kazor checked his weapon as he ran, putting his laser on full power. This time, he was playing for keeps. He wanted to find emperor Charg and punch him right between the eyes, once and for all. He mentally closed his eyes, leaving behind the whispered orders of his troops and the crunching of the leaves in the cold night. He ran over injustice after injustice that he had to deliver at the whim of that slug monster. He ran over the game Charg has played with him the whole time he had served as the Emperor's personal guard. He opened his eyes again to see his rebels running ahead of him, Mallory at his heels. This time, those injustices would be avenged. He looked at his wrist com to see that his first set of troops were in position. "Troop 2 halt!" he called sharply into the night. The entire band of about thirty rebels stopped in their tracks. 

Tanya nearly bumped into him, panting. "What now?" she asked. 

"Now all we have to do is wait for the first attack. Then, we'll give Charg the surprise of his life." Mallory nodded, and opened her com again." You catch all that Wing?"

                "Every detail Mallory." Wildwing responded. "We've got our end of the bargain on it's way."

                "Are you sure it's going to be on time?" she asked. "Kazor here isn't set for tardiness."

                "They'll be there alright." This time Kay responded in the same dull, grim voice. "Tell the Alterian he has my word on it." 

Mallory nodded and closed the connection. 

To be continued.....


	4. Chapter Four

DIB, Part 4

Written by Zelda

                Zelda could see the guards. Ten of them, five to each side of the huge, black bay doors that marked the entrance to the dome-shaped Charg mothership. Now was go time, but the guards would be a problem. She and Duke couldn't take them alone. 

Duke motioned her to crouch in the leaves. "The others are almost ready sweetheart." he whispered. "All we have to do is hope we're not seen." 

Zelda nodded and lay tensely beside him. She watched the guards carefully as they stood, alert and ready by the doors. Her mind wandered slowly to the Territory. She thought of all of her kind, the clan that she lead, that she hadn't seen in at least a month. She was but a few miles from them, and suddenly hit by a pang of homesickness. She thought of them all snuggling into their beds, or perhaps a few of them were stealing a nightly drink by the river, or playing a game of tag in the dark. She missed all her friends, worried about them with this fight but a little ways from her home. She shook her head as she realized how homesick the Ducks must feel from time to time. If she didn't like being across the country from her home, she wouldn't be able to stand being in another dimension. It was harder for them, she reassured herself. Her homesickness was rather selfish in comparison. An activity amongst the guards snapped her back to attention. One of them was talking on a com, the others listening intenly to the conversation. They broke and picked up their laser staffs, beginning to flank out into the woods, moving towards she and Duke! "Did they see us?" she suddenly panicked.

                "Easy... maybe they're worried that the patrol didn't come in on time." Duke stood slowly, keeping his eyes on the approaching guards.

                "Do we move?" Zelda whispered. 

Duke silenced her. "Too late." he mouthed. The guards were getting too close. If they moved, their cover would be blown. They'd have to stay put and hope the foliage hid them. 

Zelda froze, ready to spring on the first guard that spotted the both of them. Suddenly, the woods about sixty feet away burst into laser fire! The guards and  Ducks both jumped about three feet up in surprise as at least a hundred Alterian rebels suddenly poured out of the woods, illuminating the night with their lasers and guns blazing. 

Duke pulled Zelda to her feet and they both ran through the hail towards the open entrance of the ship.

                "Talk about being just in time!" Zelda yelped. 

They were about to dive into the entranceway, when suddenly a whole troop of Chargs, perhaps as many as fifty, burst through the doorway, running in formation. Duke and Zelda stumbled back outside and flattened themselves against the hull of the ship, trying not to be seen. 

"We'll have to fight our way in!" Duke yelled, tearing his sabre from his shoulder. "Let's go!" He started slashing through the closest line of guards as they exited, slowly parting his way into the ship. 

Zelda flew up and soared over the heads of the guards, having an easy time getting in. She landed as Duke finally shoved his way through, the last of the Chargs exiting. They were finally in the ship. It was huge, the tunnel that they were in extending strait back, the ceiling 20 feet up. 

                "Got a map?" Zelda asked. 

                "We'll find Dive and Grin, come on!" They both started running again, back down the hallway. 

                The fighting was furious. The forest lit up like a red police flare on the side of a road, hissing and sparking in incandescent flame. Even though she was far from the battle, Mallory cringed.

                "Time to go." Kazor was talking to one of his lieutenants. "Are we all ready?"

                "First lines have their arms in place, seconds are ready, third and fourth lines will be prepared in less than a minute." 

                "Excellent. And the second half of our troop?" 

                "They report to be in position Kazor."

                "What about our report from the first troop? What are we looking at for a battle here?"

                "The first troop reports one fourth has been lost to injury, the Chargs are continuing to send backup from their ship."

                "Then it's time we even our odds. Start the countdown for the second charge, in thirty seconds we attack!" 

                "Yes Kazor." the lieutenant saluted him and scurried off into the brush. 

Mallory finished loading her puck cannon and wiped her brow. "You're a better leader than I thought you would make Kazor. You've really got this whole thing organized." she complimented.

                "Mallory, I've had years to think about this. From the very day I took over the rebel group, I started planning how I was going to destroy the Chargs once and for all. I've been waiting for this battle for a long time." he said grimly. "Now get ready, we've got ten seconds to lock and load." 

                The attack came from two sides, closing in on the Charg fighters like a garbage compactor. The second troop had split in half, taken station on opposite sides of the battlefield, and charged. They now were pressuring the Chargs on three fronts. The battle was incredible. Mallory was instantly enveloped in the light and heat of the laser fire, watching all the bodies moving around her. She was suddenly back in the Special Forces, suddenly back in the Second Saurian War, suddenly back to to crushing hunter drones beneath her foot. It was like the fight over Puckworld was happening all over again. Mallory shivered, a combination of deja vu and fear running down her spine. She clicked her puck cannon and sent Charg guards falling all around her. It was good to be back in her element. 

                Duke moved as soundlessly as a cat as he ran down the main hall.

 Zelda kept at his heels in envy, talons clicking rhythmically on the cold metal floor. They whirled past door after door, sealed shut with no apparent way of opening them from the outside. 

Duke was getting frustrated. Suddenly they spotted a door, halfway down, which was open and let a beam of light out from it. They stopped close to the entrance, flattening themselves against the wall in order to peek in. It was another huge room, with a great pedestal at the end of it. Upon that pedestal, on a huge chair, sat some bloated, moving object, swaying and bulging back and forth. 

The two squinted to recognize none other than the Emperor Charg himself, barking at an underling of his about the sudden attack. The two couldn't make the conversation out, and shrank back into the hallway. 

                "Why that no good..." Duke snarled under his breath. "I'd like to give him a sample of my skills as a cosmetic surgeon." He unsheathed his sabre in threat. 

Zelda pulled his arm back."Defeating him's an honor only Kazor deserves." she whispered. "Our job is to find the others." 

Duke nodded slowly. "You're right, you're right." He still kept a seething eye on the doorway. "Let's keep low and get across." 

The two darted across the doorway like scared rats, shrinking back against the wall on the other side, sighing dangerously loud in relief. Suddenly, a door at the entrance to the hall flew open, and the hallway filled with the thunder of the feet of another Charg batallion. Reinforcements. The rebels must have caught the Chargs on the run! The two grinned at each other and started down the hall again. They were about to pass another door when it flew open in front of them! The two gasped and crouched on the floor, but only a single Charg guard came bustling out, fussing with his laser staff and not noticing the two.

                "Blasted war." he muttered to himself. "I'm no warrior, I'm just a prison guard! Curses to Charg if I lose my head out there...." The two turned back as the door started to automatically close. 

Duke wedged his foot in it, and it opened again. "Come on, I've got a hunch." he waved Zelda in, and they both found themselves in a much narrower, lower hallway. They started to run again. Now they would have some chance of finding the others. "That guy said he was a prison guard."

                "Perhaps he had knowledge of where the others were." Zelda said. "Was it wise to let him go?"

                "I'm sure we can find them on our own." Duke stared straight ahead as he ran, the hallway stretching and curving like a lazy serpent before them. The two stopped dead at a fork. Duke scratched his head, thinking hard. 

Zelda started to sniff the ground.

                "Anything?" Duke asked.

                "The scent is poor..." Zelda was frustrated as she continued to pace, snout to the floor. "I'd say we go this way." she finally pointed to the left.

                "The nose knows." Duke joked, as they both picked up the run again. Again they jogged down a long and twisting metal hallway, gradually slowing themselves to a walk along the way. There was something near, they both could sense it. Duke instinctively began to slink along the wall again. Finally they both stopped at a curve. There was something around the bend. There were voices, coming from far down in the tunnel, echoing off the walls. This far away they were indecipherable. Again frustration. Could they be Dive and Grin? Or perhaps they were the head of a whole troop of Charg soldiers, chatting about the battle plan. They could be walking into a trap. Duke silently slipped around the bend, rounding the curve and continuing on. Zelda followed him as he drew his sabre and held it before him. The voices slowly became clearer, the scent of the voice's owners became more prominent. It was their own. Duke could tell too, but they still proceeded with the same caution. There could still be guards. Duke peeked around a bend to see the cell across the way, blue bars of electricity separating him from Grin, Nosedive, and Jay. He was thrilled to find them. "Pssst!" he hissed at the three. 

Nosedive's head shot up, and he instantly grinned from ear to ear. 

Although relived, Duke was instinctively angry at him. Keep your cool, you're gonna blow our cover kid! 

Nosedive realized his facial expression, checked himself, and then signaled to him. No guard. So it was safe. 

Now Duke smiled, and let Zelda peek out from behind him. 

                "Man am I glad to see you guys!" Dive celebrated in a whisper. 

                "Ditto." Zelda trotted close to the bars. "Everyone in one piece?"

                "Mostly, except Grin here." Jay gestured to the gray duck that towered above him, still sitting crookedly to avoid aggravating his wound.

                "I believe I shall live." Grin nodded sarcastically.          

                "So what's goin' on? Wha'd we miss?" Jay stood up quickly. "Any real action?" 

                "There's a war going on out there." Duke gestured outside the ship, not taking his eyes off of a control panel next to the cell. 

                "Jeez! The aliens get to have all the fun while I get locked up in here with YOU." Jay scowled lightly at Nosedive. 

                "Love you too man." Nosedive bit back. 

                "Stow it, both of you." Duke edged his voice higher. "If it weren't for Zel and I you'd still be here. You've got Wing and Kay worried sick." He continued to prod carefully at the control panel. 

                "Technical difficulties?" Jay asked. 

                "This is something for Tanya, not me." Duke sighed, squinting at the maze of buttons and knobs. "I hope she's alright. I hope they're all alright out there." he broke from his task to ponder for a moment.

                "Yo, things are really that bad out there?" Jay ventured. 

Duke nodded at him slowly, then resumed his task of observing the panel. Slowly he reached in and dabbled at the buttons. Suddenly, a blaringly loud alarm shattered the silence, and the hallway glowed red. Duke spat out a curse that was shrouded by the noise.

                "Way to go!" Nosedive snarled sarcastically. 

Duke threw up his hands in frustration at the panel and punched it angrily. The bars faded! "Come on, everyone in here's probably already distracted with the fighting outside. Tripping that alarm might have actually helped us!" 

Jay jumped out of the cell. He opened another panel in the wall to find his noisy cricket and three puck launchers in a compartment. He grinned and kissed the gun before tucking it safely away in his suit. Nosedive grabbed his two launchers, spinning them on his fingers. 

                "We are BACK IN ACTION!" he celebrated, tossing the last launcher to Grin, who was just standing up and walking out. 

Duke opened his com. "Mission accomplished. Now what?"

                "Well duh we could use a little help out here guys!" Tanya yelled back at him. The video transmission was scratchy. 

                "On our way Tanya." Duke ended. "Let's go, everyone."

                "Go on." Zelda told him. "I'll hang back with Grin. We'll be right behind you." 

Duke nodded and started running with Dive and Jay, already halfway down the hall. 

Grin rubbed his back and started to walk gingerly. 

Zelda trotted at his heels. "Feeling okay?"

                "I'll be fine." he growled. "Any word from Wildwing?"

                "Not for a while." Zelda admitted. "But if I know Wing he's got something big up his sleeve." They entered the main hallway, bay doors opened wide and revealing the chaos of fighting beyond. 

Grin broke into a run, heading out. 

                Blasts sheared inches over Tanya's hair, frazzling the ends. The Duck finished rolling over and stood back up, realigning her puck launcher and firing back upon a cloud of pursuers. She was being chased away from the others by the Chargs, almost as if she were singled out. Tanya panicked and kept running into the forest, getting blacker and blacker as she lost the fighting behind her. Three or four Chargs still pursued her. The Duck growled, taking her eyes off of the terrain ahead of her to try and pick them off as she fired behind her. She had to keep running, to trip and fall now would get her caught. And still they kept coming. Why couldn't she hit them?! Frustrated, she stopped and whirled around, firing angrily into the bushes. One Charg tripped and fell. She turned and ran again as laser fire started to come dangerously close. Suddenly, she felt her toe stub, her foot catch in something, and suddenly she was off balance, flying forward. She closed her eyes as her bracing hands met the dull crunch of dead leaves, her body only slightly cushioned as her palms were scraped in the dirt. She gasped and spun to get up again, when the yellow laser blasts rang around her, exploding the ground just a few feet from her. To move was to risk getting hit! Could they even see her in the darkness? Tanya was frozen by indecision. Did they have the optic capability to see well in the dark? They were cats... but what about their pinpointing capability and hand-eye coordination? Tanya really began to panic, loosing track of her calculations. Suddenly, munitions fire in a rainbow of colors ruptured from the black forest behind her, tearing up the earth. Tanya saw the black silouettes of the Charg warriors tumble to the ground. Then there was a yell, and the forest fell silent and dark again. Tanya stood up, still frozen in suprise. Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder. Tanya spun around to see two red eyes glowing before her.

                "Relax." Wildwing tried to calm her. "We've come to end this."

                Duke was alarmed at the volume of it. Hundreds of Chargs must be in the fray, and just as many Alterians. 

Nosedive whipped out his launchers and leapt from the bay of the ship with a yell of  "DUCKS ROCCCKKKK!" and landed running on the ground, disappearing into the fight. 

A stray laser blast ricocheted off the ship a few feet from Jay, startling him. He took out his cricket and braced himself against the outer wall of the ship. 

                "What're you doing kid?" Duke asked. 

                "Watch." Jay squinted and fired. The weapon sent out a blast that slammed ten fighters to the ground.

                "Hey watch it!" Duke yelled. "You'll hit an Alterian!"

                "That's not my problem yall." Jay shrugged. "My beat's on both of them aliens." 

Duke shook his head and tore his sword off his shoulder, the blade flashing golden and swiping within a few inches of Jay's face.

                "What the heck you think you doin' man?!?! Trying to get me killed?!"

                "That's not my problem." Duke grinned, and darted off into the fight. 

Jay growled and cocked his noisy cricket carefully and looked for an opportunity to jump in as well. Suddenly, a huge blast of light blue energy erupted like a volcano from the forest beyond the fight. It sailed up and spread like a hood over the fight, sparkling and bright. Jay knew exactly what it was. He smiled. Suddenly, a wall of black emerged from the forests all around the ship. A thousand weapons clicked on in unison. Hundreds of MiBs stood shoulder to shoulder, surrounding the ship with their weapons drawn. Chargs and Alterians both froze in their footsteps. It didn't take long for the Ducks to regroup and find Kay and Jay. 

Kazor was standing with them, arguing. "We were forced here! If you'll just go take a look at the laser hole in the side of the ship..." 

                "No matter, you still didn't have to turn this into a war."

                "But--"

                "Stow it Kazor. We'll be detaining you at MIB headquarters until we work all of this out." Kay snapped at him. Kazor found himself in handcuffs. The Ducks were in no place to object. There was a commotion as a party shoved their way through the fight, a group of MiBs leading the detained Emperor Charg to Kay. Upon seeing each other, the two leaders immediately struggled and flared at each other. 

                "Cuff him too boys!" Kay ordered. 

                "If you can find big enough cuffs..." Jay started. 

                "Ducks." Kay turned to them. "You did commendable work today. We need you to come back too." 

                "We understand." Wildwing nodded. "I believe all of us are okay, we'll head back to the Migrator and meet you at headquarters." 

Kay turned around and walked off behind the two captives. 

Jay snapped to and followed him. 

Wildwing rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "Well this is one for the story books." he noted. "Come on, we'd better start back as well." 

                "I'll meet you back at the Migrator." Zelda hopped up into the trees. "No doubt my kind have been hiding from this fight, I'm going to go check in with them." 

Wildwing gave and approving nod, and Zelda flapped away. Wildwing turned and started off into the wood. Suddenly, a Charg caught him on the arm. 

The team spun around angrily to confront the lone soldier. 

The lion cowered before the circle of Ducks. "Please..... you know the MiB... make them go easy on the Emperor..."

                "We have little influence over them." Wildwing shook himself out of the Charg's grasp. "All we can argue for is fairness." With that, he tramped off into the forest, leaving the Charg and Alterian armies picking up the pieces of their war in the silence and shadow of hundreds of MiB.

                Kazor stood up, grinning triumphantly as his lieutenant finished briefing him on the results of the battle. "You know my friends, we didn't start this fight, but we won it."

                "Winning the fight perhaps." Grin was trying to reach the itchy bandage on his back. "But the war remains undetermined." 

Kazor nodded musingly and ran a paw though his mane. "Still, it is good to know you Ducks are here. After I went to Alteir 4 I wondered about your fate. It is good to see you still have the upper hand over your enemy."

                "As it is good to see your troops operating. Goodness knows Charg deserves what he's getting from you." Mallory stood with her back to the wall, near the solidly shut metal door, watching to see when they could get out of this holding room.

                "Yeah, just do me a favor, the next time you start off a war, do it away from this planet!" Dive mocked anger. 

Kazor took it lightly. 

Suddenly, the door opened. Kay, Jay and Zedd came walking in. They seemed to ignore the Ducks, and paced right up to Kazor, seated in a simple wooden chair.

                "Here's the rundown Slick." Kay told him. "You're getting off with the proverbial warning this time."

                "Investigation of the battle site and your ship proved your story." Zedd started. "The Chargs are clearly in the wrong. Still, you're no saint, Junior." 

                "So what does he get?" Nosedive suddenly jumped it. "Torture in some alien lava pit? Does he get fed to some giant slug?"

                "Community service." Kay said with a straight face. "You'll be helping to run an intergalactic daycare center on Verunius's third moon." 

Duke leaned in Mallory's ear. "Talk about your childhood emotional scarring."

                "And the Emperor?" Kazor asked hopefully. 

Zedd turned and walked away as if he'd never heard him. Kay followed. Jay hesitated. "Well?" Kay frowned back at the young man. 

                "He's the one who gets fed to the slug." Jay grinned, and walked away too. 

                "Hey wait a second." Wildwing suddenly stood from his chair. 

The three men halted. 

"Now what about your end of the bargain?" 

Zedd frowned.

                "I agree." Tanya stood as well. "We risked our tailfeathers out there for you! Surely that means something." 

                "We have already considered loosening our regional travel restrictions on you...." Kay began. 

                "No, I mean the whole thing." Wildwing walked up to him, frowning aggressively. "No limits, no rules. We're no enemy, we've never been." 

Zedd and Kay leveled eyes. Then they glanced at Jay. 

He immediately backed off. 

                "Hey you guys... they did save my butt out there." Nosedive cocked his head. 

Zedd sighed.

                "Alright Ducks. Go on, get out of here and go catch up with your schedule. You can probably get up to Buffalo tonight." 

The Ducks all cheered, Kazor grinned. 

Zedd walked out, followed by Jay. 

Kay paused for a while in the door and shook his head.

                "I'll admit it Ducks, you do good work. But you caught a break today." He frowned. "Just keep an eye out for what you do. We'll be watching you." Kay walked out, leaving the door open behind him.

The End


End file.
